Various portions of nuclear testing, fabrication, power generation or repair installations require periodic cleaning and decontamination. For example, in order to permit routine entry of personnel for repair or replacement of equipment, areas exposed to radiologically contaminated dust, dirt, powder, metal chips or the like, especially in remote or difficult to clean locations, must be cleaned and the contaminated material collected for subsequent shipment and burial.
While vacuum-type equipment is presently available for trapping radioactive particles in a vacuum bladder, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,480, no method or apparatus presently exists which can filter radiologically contaminated particles in a safe and efficient manner while meeting or exceeding existing radiological and criticality control requirements for collecting and handling widely distributed, highly contaminated particles.
Bonn, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,890 discloses a rechargeable particulate filter for absorbing contaminates from radioactive contaminated gas streams but does not describe a method or apparatus for collecting contaminated materials.